Optical Assistant Review
at Specsavers
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Customer Service, Healthcare, Sales
Chesterfield, Derbyshire
Review Submitted: September 2026
Overall Rating
4 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
-
Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
3.4/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
I took the contact lens assistant pathway for my apprenticeship. My job involved pre-screening patients before their eye tests, working in the call centre (booking appointments and customer service), dispensing glasses (sales), dispensing contact lenses, teaching people how to insert/remove their contact lenses and how to use them safely, and sorting through the deliveries (making sure the correct lenses went to each customer).
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
I thoroughly enjoyed my apprenticeship. Each week I would be given 4 hours of "off the job" time. This was taken during work hours, and usually split between two days. During this time I would complete any online learning and write weekly journals to demonstrate my learning to my apprenticeship coaches.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
On the whole my programme was quite well organised. I enjoyed it because I had to take the learning into my own hands, however I think someone who requires more structured learning might struggle with this. The only downside was that my instore training manager only worked part time so she wasn't always there if I needed in-person support.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
I have definitely learned a lot since joining the apprenticeship, however a lot of what I learned was through shadowing my colleagues. While this was very helpful, it also meant that it was easy to pick up on other people's bad habits. I feel that it would've been better if I were actually taught the correct way of doing things by my training manager.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
1/5
nothing that I'm aware of
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Specsavers to a friend?
Yes
Why?
The team here is lovely and everyone has always been willing to help me. Also Specsavers has a lot of opportunity for professional development, for example, now that I have finished my Level 3 apprenticeship, I am now being enrolled onto Level 4. I think this is a really great way of getting your qualifications if you prefer working in an adult environment instead of a school environment.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Specsavers?
Have confidence when talking to new people as you will spend most of your time dealing with the general public. Also it is important to be organised as the learning is not structured so you will have to do a lot of your own research and self development.
